This invention relates to methods for measuring changes in the topology of a skin surface over time.
There are a variety of fields in which it is important to measure the changes in the topology of a surface over time. One such application is in the medical field in which surface qualities of the skin need to be defined in terms of reproducible measurements in order to make objective quantitative assessments of surface-altering therapeutic treatments. Most quantitative studies of biological surfaces are done with silicon rubber, acrylic, or plaster replicas of the surfaces. Such substances provide accurate three-dimensional contour models that are convenient to measure and store. Techniques developed for the measurement of these models have used one of two basic approaches: mechanical tracings can be obtained by passing a stylus over the studied surface or techniques using light reflection can be used.